Hermione's Scheming
by Lin Yarnspin
Summary: Romilda Vane wants to sneak Harry love potion. Hermione gets involved. Can she use the despicable situation to obtain what she desires?


**A/N This is just something I thought up. I know it's not the best, but try to enjoy the slightly dark side to Hermione?**

Hermione didn't like not knowing the answer. For some inexplicable reason, she wanted him. Yes, he was a great oaf a lot of the time. But he almost always kept cool, had a good sense of humor (albeit sometimes lacking in taste), and, as much as she hated to admit it, he was rather good-looking.

So...maybe she did have a better idea of why than she thought. Still, what was she to do about it? Lavender lusted after him almost constantly, and recently he'd started to return the affection.

If she really wanted Ronald Weasley, Hermione would have to do something, and fast.

Generally she used her intelligence for useful things, like writing essays twice as long as the requested length, or reading musty old books for fun. But as a woman desperately in love, Hermione would have to use that intelligence to devise some scheme to get Ron for herself.

One afternoon after Transfiguration, Hermione went in the bathroom and ran across a group of giggling girls. A pretty brunette turned when she entered and said, "Oh you're Hermione Granger! You're Harry Potter's girlfriend, aren't you?"

Hermione threw the girl a nasty glare, "And you are?"

The brunette giggled again, "Romilda Vane. So, are you his girlfriend?"

"No I'm not, but really that's none of your business."

Romilda turned back to her group of friends and they dissolved into laughter. One of them picked up a box of chocolates that had been perched across a sink and handed it to Romilda. She turned back to Hermione and asked, "Then would you mind giving these to him?" Romilda held it out.

Hermione was really tempted to take the box and flush it down a toilet. What was it with lewd girls chasing after her friends? And those chocolates were sure to contain love potion. Romilda hadn't exactly kept it a secret that she planned on slipping some to the famous Harry Potter. But instead she took it and stashed it in her bookbag. "Fine, I'll give it to him when I see him."

That cued the girls to erupt in giggles once again.

Hermione turned sharply and rolled her eyes as she walked out.

On her way back to the common room, Hermione was tempted to take the chocolates and chuck them out. But then an idea hit her. It was a genius idea, but also one so sneaky that she couldn't dare to believe she's thought of it.

As she rounded the corner to the last staircase up to the common room, Hermione spied Harry not too far ahead of her. She ran to catch up.

Harry turned around when he heard Hermione's footsteps. Then he saw the disgusted expression which still lingered on her face, "What's eating you?"

"Oh that ridiculous Romilda Vane! I walked in on her and her stupid friends were giggling about you in the loo. Then she forced me to take this box of chocolates to give to you. If I would have said no, I'm absolutely positive she would have found another way to slip you a love potion."

"Well, where's the box, then?" Harry asked. Then reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, "Fanged Frisbee."

Hermione followed Harry into the common room as she pulled the box out of her bag. "Here. Just take the thing. If she asks, you can honestly say I gave it to you. But don't eat the things."

"Definitely won't," Harry replied, and then he went up to the boy's dormitory, where he dumped the box on the trunk at the end of his bed.

Hermione sat down in a chair and smiled to herself. If she was judging Ron as well as she thought she could, then he was sure to eat the chocolates. He couldn't turn down food. And because of the love potion, he would develop an infatuation with Romilda, which would make Lavender angry, leaving Ron available for her, Hermione, to make her move.

Unfortunately for Hermione, weeks went by and Ron didn't eat the chocolates. But as far as she knew, Harry still had the box. Maybe she just needed to bide her time. And even if Ron never ate the things, the obsession Lavender had for him couldn't last forever, could it? She hoped not. Lately, Lavender had been getting to be a pain and Hermione didn't want to lose Ron's friendship for good or she wouldn't have any sort of chance later on.

Then, in late winter, Hermione got her break, although she was unaware of it at the time. It was Ron's birthday. In Harry's haste to dig his present for Ron out of his trunk, he haphazardly threw the chocolate box off to the side. Ron, thinking it was a present, guzzled most of them down and fell into a stupor filled with fantasies of Romilda Vane.

And then Hermione's plan went south when Ron got poisoned while looking for a cure. He was just supposed to eat, become infatuated, run into Lavender, and everything would be over. Instead, she found out in a roundabout way from Luna who was told by Ginny that Ron was in the hospital.

As fast as she could, Hermione ran to the hospital wing. Let him be all right, she thought, let him be all right! She burst through the door. Harry, Ginny, Madame Pomfrey, and Professor Slughorn were gathered around the only occupied bed. She rushed over and almost knocked Harry down.

Bending down, Hermione picked up Ron's hand, which was lying on top of the sheets. "Ron, can you hear me?" she almost whispered, "Ron?"

Something then crashed into the ward. Everyone jumped and looked around. Panting and leaning over the end of the bed was Lavender, screeching, "What's happened to Won-Won? Where is he?"

Hermione glared and felt the anger build in her. Absentmindedly, she squeezed Ron's hand.

Ron stirred slightly, but everyone was too busy staring at Lavender to notice, except Hermione. She looked back down at Ron and again whispered, "Ron?"

"Her-my-nee?" Ron mumbled, fortunately loud enough for everyone to hear.

Lavender stomped her foot and exclaimed, "Well I-! Have fun with your new girlfriend, Ronald!" Then she stormed out, making even more noise than she did on the way in, almost running into Professor Dumbledore.

Hermione didn't pay attention to whatever Dumbledore wanted or what the others said. She was too busy smiling down at Ron, who's eyes kept flickering open and they seemed to be looking up at her.

Again Ron mumbled, "Her-mi-nee", but this time Hermione was the only one who heard him. She smiled, completely satisfied. Reluctantly, she'd taken the box of chocolates, but they turned out to be the key. Romilda Vane had finally left Harry alone. Lavender dumped Ron and would probably never speak to him again. And she, Hermione, was free to finally pursue the person she had craved.

Yes, she was very satisfied indeed.


End file.
